I intended to buy a Beagle but came home with this....

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This is my puppy.


That was him at the breeders.



That is him this moning trying to climb my leg.
He is nine weeks old and I got him home last night, we haven't decided on a name yet, he is really lively and has needle teeth, he settled down and had a pieceful night but despite assurences he isn't in the slightest bit house trained.

He is a cross breed with no papers but we saw his parents, mum is a Bullmastiff and Dad is an English mastiff, so he has got a bit of growing to do.
I grew up with Rotties so I'm used to strong dominant dogs but have never housetrained a dog before so any tips and advice welcome, infact any advice off Mastiff owner's in general will be gratefully received.
I live in a village surrounded by fields and have a big garden , he will have a good life, ill update with a name when we can agree on one.
Thanks for reading.

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He has, his parents were huge.

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Thanks, I've took a fair amount of st buying this dog, everyone thinks I've bullied the wife into having it, I've had all my bkingsnow except for me Nan, not true by the way, my wife has her own mind and often gives me a piece of it.

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bexVN said:

Great dog, enjoy

But he'll of a change from a Beagle. Why the change of heart?

The Mastiff was my first choice, the Wife wanted a stzu ( no I cant spell it), the Beagle was a compromise, we have spent the last five weeks reading up on them and the Mastiffs temperament won us over, last year whilst I was still working away I had a phone call off the Wife asking if id come home unexpectedly, I said no I'm in Scotland, she then told me someone was trying to get through the front door, this was scary, we live in small village and I didn't expect that, anyhow they didn't get in and now the feeling that any chancer getting in my home whilst my family were there would have a nice surprise, I really liked the look of them as well, thirdly we don't see any around here, they are pretty scarce so its nice to be different.
JapVeesix, we called him Snoop, Snoop Doggy in full, if we had a Beagle we were going to call him Snoopy, we I came home with the Mastiff the kids just started calling him Snoop.

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Update, he has had his first course of injections today and is not well, we are a bit worried but I think this is fairly common, the Vet said he is a good specimen but really under weight, he is now having an extra meal a day, he has no snacks off the table as his weight is a big concern to me, I grew up with Rotties and keeping the excess weight of them really prolongs those hips, house training is going well and anyone who see's him falls in love, he is asleep on the settee next to me now, something I said id never allow.

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scdan4 said:

Gorgeous.

Our mastiff (probably) cross rescue is a lovely mutt with an awesome temprament.

Quieter than a beagle and not an escape artist. I would say you have done well.

Knocking on 40 kilo's though, she's a sturdy girl.

Would recommend decent for life insurance, with a decent (5K minimum) payout limit per condition.

Well done for recusing one, I thought of this but with little ones in the house piece of mind meant I had to know his history.

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Thanks for the kind comments the kids called him Snoop, short for Snoop Doggy.



That is where he is right now, he has a hardlife. He almost seems housetrained, just the odd accident.




He is settling in well, he will play inbetween bouts of sleeping, I think he has Cat in him.



Gonna need a bigger car.

He dosent seem to be taking to the dry food the vet gave me, any idea how long I should try him with it, I am mixing it with wet food at the moment and adding water to make sure he is hydrated, apart from proper treats bought from a pet shop he has nothing else but he is eating less and less, any advice welcome, apart from that he is doing well.





This appears to be his natural state

Edited by rumple on Saturday 15th June 09:40

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These are what he has had so far, the Pedegree he loves the other stuff is what the vet give me.

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Thanks for the info, last time I had a dog it was the days of Winalot, Chum and/or tripe

Edited by rumple on Sunday 16th June 20:37

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Snoop has had his second vacation and been microchipped today, he is a strong willed little chap, after two weeks he still is trying to get his collar off, the wife at first was intimidated by his biting, but has set about training him with a passion, he is at a stage where he won't eat without being told, all this she has done with rewards not punishment, we squirted him with water out of a sqeezy bottle which has largely cured the biting and we are introducing him to everyone we know because of his terretorial nature.
He is enrolled in obedience classes and is now a happy little chap and part of the family.

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Update, Snoop has settled in well, he has been vaccinated and microchipped, the biting problem has been solved and he was housetrained in about 8 days, he is going walks now, he can be a little sod on the lead, part stuborness part insecurity, we feed him on royal canin dry food and he will have an oily fish with that a couple of times a week, he has a bone from the butchers twice a week and we haven't had any problems with chewing yet.
Snoop also came second at the school fete dog show, he is now apart of the family and it would be hard to imagine not having him around, he starts domestic guard dog training in a week, and my daughters are now getting on with him, at first he intimidated them with his biting, the only bugbear with him is he is a very reluctent walker, but that will come with time.

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JEA1K said:

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Good on you OP

You sure you want him up on the furniture - he will be there for life now, and as you said big mother fun steer to share with.

He'll turn into a 'couch dominator' which is what we have, all 8 stone of him.

I know, but he gives you those big eyes.

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We went to a family BBQ last night, dark and ate loads, Snoop had a big fuss made of him, he spent the evening playing with the in-laws staffy, everything looked rosy, we didn't know what was to come later......
I got up this morning to be greeted by a river of st, its everywhere, I have spent a solid hour cleaning it up, his bedding is in the washer, his crate has had to be hosed off, there is a small settee next to the crate, that got it, the dog has had to be bathed because he was covered in dried st.
This is because people thought it was a good thing to feed him sausages, he only has dry food and never treats, to say his stomach is upset is an understatement, he seems ok in his self but is now off his food, forgot to add I have also had to clean up sick because the wife spewed when she let him out, I must admit I am very strong stomached but I was dry heaving, all in all a great start to Sunday morning.

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You have a good point there Doc, this morning I found out a child had given him an enormous piece of chocolate as well, he has picked up around oneish, he hadn't eaten or drank in that time, I was getting worried about him, he is getting over it now though.

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Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Yup, happens with too much human food.
I had that pleasure on a Boxing Day morning after too many trimming treats.

Paddy, the mess was overwhelming, ive never seen as much crap in one place, poor little sod must have had explosive diarrhia , the wife was hurling, I was hungover, it wasn't good.

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otolith said:

We once gave our old GSD a whole pint of milk, after we'd ended up with too much milk in the fridge.

That's one mistake you only make once!

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Snoop has had a Parvo vaccination on Wednesday, this morning I have got up to a very poorly dog, the mess was equalling the say after the BBQ, he is also vomiting, thinking he had had a reaction to the vaccine he has been rushed to the Vet.
I have just spoke to the Wife and he is going to be OK, he has had an unrelated bug and has had to stay at the vets because he is on a drip, he has had anti biotics and will be picked up this evening, this is an unexpected 200qiud bill and the vet says the insurance is unlikely to pay based on her experience, but the main thing is he will be alright

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I forgot to say, on Wednesday when the Vet weighed him he has doubled in weight in four weeks, (jesus) he is now a bouncing one and a half stone, his feet are getting big.

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Update time, Snoop Dog is 5 months old about the size of a Springer, has a 16 inch neck and weighs 3 stone dead. we simply could not imagine life without him, he is obedient, good with the kids, clumsy, mixes very well with other Dogs, he is a pleasure to be with.





Two pictures of him taken this weekend, and yes that is a Bra around his neck.